A veterinarian recorded the weight x, in pounds, and the... | SAT Two-variable data: models and scatterplots Question, Answer Explained

Question bank / Two-variable data: models and scatterplots

Math · Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisMedium

A veterinarian recorded the weight $x$ , in pounds, and the amount of food $y$ , in cups, eaten per day by $25$ dogs. The line of best fit for the data is $y = 0.05x + 0.8$ . Based on the line of best fit, if one dog weighs $20$ pounds more than another dog, how many more cups of food per day is the heavier dog predicted to eat?

$0.05$

$0.8$

$1$

$1.8$

Show answer and explanation

Answer: C

The slope, $0.05$ , is the predicted increase in daily food, in cups, for each additional pound. For $20$ additional pounds, the predicted increase is $20 \times 0.05 = 1$ cup.

Choice D is the predicted amount of food for a dog that weighs $20$ pounds, which includes the $0.8$ , but the question asks for the difference between two dogs.

Why the other choices are wrong

A. 0.05 is the predicted increase for each 1 pound, not for 20 pounds.
B. 0.8 is the y-intercept, the predicted amount for a dog that weighs 0 pounds.
D. 1.8 is the predicted amount for a dog that weighs 20 pounds, not the difference between two dogs.

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